Maxim Magazine has released their list of the 100 hottest women for 2008, and Emma Watson is included at #94. You can see Emma's page right here, and check out the whole list at this link.

According to this article from Reuters, Emma Watson has been chosen to take over a role originally slated for actress Scarlett Johansson, because of her age:

Watson, 18, will play Betsy Balcombe, a young, impetuous noblewoman trapped on the isolated British island of St. Helena who falls in love with Napoleon, who has been exiled there.

The film, titled Napoleon and Betsy, is scheduled for release some time in 2009.

As we told you earlier, Emma Watson turns 18 today. Her official site has been updated with a video from the actress which you can check out here. Enjoy!

Emma Watson (Hermione Granger in the Potter films) turns 18 years of age today. From everyone here at MuggleNet, we wish her a fantastic birthday!

Also of note is actress Emma Thompson (Professor Trelawney) who is celebrating her 49th birthday today. Have a great one!

The third and final photo from Emma Watson's Warner Brothers photo shoot is now online. Check it out here! Thanks to everyone who e-mailed with the tip.

The second photo from a recent official Warner Bros. photoshoot with Emma Watson is now online at EmmaWatson.com. Check it out here in our gallery!

On her official site the other day, Emma promised a few new photos coming from a recent Warner Brothers photo shoot. The first photo is now on her official website... check it out here!

Two more photos will be released in the coming days. Thanks to Lisa for the tip!

EmmaWatson.com has been updated saying that photos of Emma from a recent Warner Bros. photo shoot will be released soon. Among them will be her new fan mail photo. Stay tuned!

As we told you yesterday, Emma Watson was nominated for Best Actress, Dan Radcliffe for Best Actor, David Yates for Best Director, Nicholas Hooper (who composed the fifth film's soundtrack) for Best Soundtrack, and OOTP itself for Best Film and Best Sci-fi/Fantasy at the Empire awards.

The ceremony took place last night and congratulations to David Yates who earned the Best Director award for his work on Order of the Phoenix. Check out a video interview with him at the bottom of this page where he concedes being tempted to direct the Deathly Hallows film.

Further coverage of the event, including photos of Emma Watson, Evanna Lynch, Katie Leung and Jason Isaacs, can be seen here.

Thanks to everyone who wrote in!

Emma Watson has added a new post to her official site where she talks about the Empire awards taking place tonight. She says, "I think I'm also presenting an award which will be great! I really hope it will be a good night for Potter! Fingers crossed!"

Emma has been nominated for Best Actress, Dan Radcliffe for Best Actor, David Yates for Best Director, Nicholas Hooper (who composed the fifth film's soundtrack) for Best Soundtrack, and OOTP itself for Best Film and Best Sci-fi/Fantasy.

The awards will be broadcast tomorrow at 9 PM on ITV2.

The Hermione Granger actress has updated her official site, wishing fans a Happy Valentine's and addressing some false UK tabloid reports recently concerning her.

"This week is Fashion Week and although I have been filming during the day I managed to make it to the Burberry and Vanity Fair party at the National Portrait gallery. The photographs were so beautiful and I was chuffed with the book of all them that they gave me.

I met Christopher Bailey (the designer which was really exciting, I also met Johnny Borrell (who is modeling for Burberry at the moment) and went on to PPQ in the same cab. I'd never met him before so that was great as I'm a big Razorlight fan.

But goodness, I am really going to have to watch who I stand next to from now on! Maybe I should stand next to Orlando Bloom and then we can be said to be 'dating'!"

Emma Watson has updated her official website with a new blog entry today. She says she has just started filming scenes with actor Jim Broadbent, who is playing Horace Slughorn in Half-Blood Prince:

"It's amazing to be working with him. It's also great because I have been eating profiteroles ALL DAY at Slughorn's dinner party!!!"

You can always find much more information in our Half-Blood Prince section of MuggleNet. Thanks to everyone who e-mailed with the tip!

Emma Watson has updated her official website wishing fans a happy Christmas. She also talks about filming Half-Blood Prince:

"There are a few new faces around set, such as Jesse who plays the character Lavender, who is really cool, although our characters really don't get on in the film! We have actually just finished filming a scene with Lavender and Ron kissing, where Hermione gets really jealous which was quite fun!"

Yahoo! recently released some of their year-end awards with the Harry Potter series grabbing various honors. Emma Watson came in at #3 and Dan Radcliffe at #10 on the list of the 10 Most Popular Stars of 2007.

Order of the Phoenix was named one of the 10 Most Popular Movies of 2007 claiming the #5 spot, and the trailer for the fifth Harry Potter film ranked at #4 in the category of 10 Most Popular Trailers of 2007.

Thanks to Sara, Katie and Shannon for sending this in!

A new 39-second trailer for Emma Watson's latest project, Ballet Shoes has surfaced online on Youtube. Screencaps from this can be viewed here at the Noel Streatfield forums.

In addition, some new stills from the film have been posted on the BBC's Flickr page.

Ballet Shoes will air in the UK on December 26th at 8:30pm.

The Telegraph has published a new interview with actress Emma Watson - her first, and arguably one of the most detailed, outside of the Harry Potter franchise. Her latest venture, Ballet Shoes - due to air in the UK on BBC 1 on December 26th - is discussed, as well as her ambition to be a successful actress. Emma comments that:

"I was so nervous I nearly turned [Ballet Shoes] down. I'd just finished the last Harry Potter film, and it was the summer holidays and I hadn't had a break, but then I thought, 'I actually really want to be an actress, a proper actress who makes it her career'".

Sensibly, she also has a backup plan to continue with her studies, and has applied to read English and philosophy at prestigious Cambridge University. "I feel it’s terribly important to continue with my education, in case acting doesn’t work out for me", she says.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint were all named some of the top earning "20 under 25" stars according to Forbes magazine. Dan took the top honors for the male actors, landing the countdown at number six, racking in $15 million. Emma came in 15th with $4 million along with co-star Rupert, closely following at number 16.

The top-earning actor on the list, Harry Potter alter-ego Daniel Radcliffe, 18, earned $15 million. That's more than performers twice his age, like Jennifer Aniston and Sandra Bullock, who earned $14 million and $10 million, respectively, made over the same period. The Potter franchise catapulted Radcliffe's co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint to the list with $4 million apiece. This summer's fifth installment, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was the second highest-grossing film of the year (edged out by Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End), raking in $938 million worldwide. The trio are already filming the follow-up, Half-Blood Prince.

E! Entertainment will have a one-hour special on this countdown on Saturday, December 22nd, at 6 PM EST.

Two new articles have been released that focus on the final two films in the Harry Potter series. The first article from the Winnipeg Sun is a look at actors Dan Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, and how they have grown up without much incident through the first six films. Producer David Heyman, director David Yates and actress Imelda Staunton all praised the trio in the interview, and Heyman credited Chris Columbus with doing an extraordinary job with initially casting them. Radcliffe also addressed just how committed he is to these films:

"So, to me, it's just about letting people know that I'm incredibly serious and passionate about this -- this series of films -- and how much they mean to me. If you've been involved in something for more than seven years now, you want to be able to talk about it articulately and explain why you love it, explain why you loved being involved in it so much."

The second article from the Edmonton Sun addresses the mood of Half-Blood Prince, and how different it will be from Deathly Hallows. Producer David Heyman said that humor in the sixth film will be "slightly warmer," but Radcliffe noted he can't wait to get to the more darker tone of the seventh and final film.

Thanks to Taylor for sending this in!

In an interview conducted last weekend for the release of the fifth Harry Potter DVD, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson express their feelings about Dumbledore being gay.

Check out a video of this here.

Bazaar magazine is set to release its list of the best dressed women in Britain on Thursday, and a preview has been published by The Telegraph. JK Rowling and Emma Watson come in at #7 and #24, respectively, on the list, and both deservedly.

"JK Rowling, 42, is more guarded with her style and earlier this year appeared in a floor-length, peppermint goddess gown at a charity event at Hampton Court Palace."